title: Clinical value of 2-deoxy-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
abstract: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is one of the most common spinal cord disorders in the elderly. It is usually diagnosed by MRI, but in a significant number of patients the clinical course of CSM does not correlate with the extent of the spinal cord compression. Recent studies have suggested that a distinct metabolic pattern of the cervical cord, as assessed by PET with 2-deoxy-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) may predict a patient's clinical outcome after decompressive surgery for cervical spine stenosis. The authors provide an overview of the recent literature regarding the value of PET with (18)F-FDG of the cervical cord in patients with CSM, paying attention to prognostic aspects and the potential role of inflammatory processes in the acute phase of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. s.eicker@uke.de
authors.forename: Sven O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Eicker
authors.forename: Karl-Josef
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Langen
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Galldiks
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stoffels
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herdmann
authors.forename: Hans-Jakob
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Steiger
authors.forename: Frank W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Floeth
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18